


Asylum

by comealonghutch



Category: Josh Hutcherson - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-14
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-21 03:13:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2452640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/comealonghutch/pseuds/comealonghutch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s Friday the 13th. Josh Hutcherson brings his girlfriend Elizabeth Chambers out to Waverly Hills. An abandoned sanatorium in Kentucky. He’s hoping to get some easy scares out of her. </p><p>But the jokes on him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Josh, whatever you do, do not leave me alone."

Today is Friday the thirteenth.The last of the days light finishing its decent in the sky. Josh had driven his girlfriend, Elizabeth (he calls her Ellie) down to the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. A popular attraction for paranormal investigators and fear seekers. Every Halloween season, there used to be a haunted house set up in one area. It has since been boarded up and gated due to a murder happening there just two years ago.

Josh pulled at the makeshift opening through the rusted wiring of the fence. The 'no trespassing' sign broken and vandalized. He got on his hands and knees crawling through. A bit of the wire sticking into his white long sleeved shirt creating a small hole. Ellie followed suit. Her slender body allowing her clothes to go unscathed. 

She brushed the dirt off her knees and straightened up. "You know in the car on the way here I looked up this place. The second I hear anything we're leaving."

"Why would we hear anything?" Josh took her hand in his as they walked through the overgrown land towards the sanatorium. 

"Well because it's haunted," she stated matter-of-factly. "I'm surprised in your late night television marathons that you hadn't stumbled upon a ghost investigation show. Apparently it's been done by so many of them."

"Must have missed it, here, this way." Josh didn't miss it. It was in fact the reason why they were there. 

"All those TB patients that died there. They must be haunting the place. Did you know that there were a lot of suicides? Apparently a nurse hung herself by a light fixture because she was unmarried and pregnant. She haunts room 502." 

"Then we are definitely checking out that room," Josh commented. He turned the flashlight up to his face and gave Ellie her favourite side grin.

He squeezed her hand tighter and pulled her in closer to him as a cool breeze tickles their skin. The hand that was once in her hand now rested on her back. 

The size of the building was vast causing Ellie to shudder. As they got closer to the entrance, Ellie couldn't help but feel like someone was following them but, every time she turned around she saw nothing. Josh noticed and took the opportunity to tap on her shoulder causing her to whirl her head around quickly. 

"Boo!"

"Josh!" Ellie's eyes widened her hands clutching her chest. 

"You're just too easy," he laughed. "This is going to be fun."

"I'm going to have a heart attack before we even step foot into this place. I have no idea why I agreed to this."

They walked up to the front door which was left ajar. A moulded, musky scent filled their nostrils. They both scrunched their noses in unison.

"After you," Josh outstretched his arm allowing Ellie to enter first. She was hesitant but went forward anyways. Josh then made his move. As soon as she'd stepped in far enough out of the doors way he grabbed it and shut it on her, leaving her in the place without a flashlight.

"Josh! Fuck!" she screamed, banging on the door, her hands in fists. "Open the door it's not funny!"

She kept hitting the door harder and harder. Her heart rate rising and eyes getting misty. On the other side of the door, Josh tried with all his might to keep it from opening. He pursed his lips to stop himself from laughing. 

"The doors stuck, hun!" he yelled, which came out muffled to Ellie.

"What?" she gasped. "No! Let me out!" 

She pounded the door again this time Josh released his hold on it and opened it. As soon as the door was open Ellie flew out and smacked Josh in the chest a few times.

"Fuck you, that wasn't funny!"

"I didn't do it," Josh replied, but his grin gave him away. He pulled her into a hug and she tried to push him away then begrudgingly wrapped her arms around him. He held her close for a moment before planting a kiss on her forehead. 

"Alright, let's check this place out," he loosened his grip on Ellie and grabbed her hand, the flashlight in the other as he shone the beam into the abandoned place. The small light from the torch casting long, creepy shadows among the walls. Shadows so obscure that you would hope you didn't have a vivid imagination.

"Did you see that?" Ellie pointed out in a hushed whisper. Her grip on his hand tighter.

"See what?" Josh inquired as he moved the light from left to right scanning the area in front.

"Something moved over there," she replied. She was sure she saw a dark object move in the distance.

"It was probably a bat or something. This place is old, El. Nature is taking it back. Don't worry about it."

They pressed forward into the sanatorium checking out some rooms on the main floor. The once painted walls crumbling. Old chairs left behind with only their frames still intact. Hooligans over the years spray painting on the walls. Some faded. Some new. There were words above the door way that they were about to walk through but both of them didn't see it. 

It read, "GET OUT" and it looked fresh.

Just as they passed through the doorway a droplet fell of what he'd hoped was water on Josh's neck. So he casually swiped it away without thinking anything of it.

"I wonder what this room was used for," she wondered out loud before her attention turned to an old rocking horse. Josh saw it to and shone the flashlight at it and as he did it began to rock back and forth. Slowly at first, but then picked up speed.

"Holy shit," Ellie exclaimed under her breath.

"Just the wind," Josh commented, keeping up his tough guy facade. But there was no wind that night and he knew it. 

"Let's go into the next room."

"Josh stop it!" Ellie pleaded.

"Stop what? I'm not doing anything."

"Stop touching and grabbing my leg it's creepy."

"El, how am I touching your leg if I'm holding the flashlight in one hand and yours in other."

At that realization both of them lost all colour in their faces and stood completely still out of fear. Ellie's lip couldn't help but tremble.

"I want to leave now, Josh," she whimpered, "Please."

He squeezed her hand, "Let's go."

As they turned around, whatever was grabbing onto Ellie's leg grabbed hard and pulled her to the floor. She fell so hard that she blacked out for a few seconds. All she could see when she came to was Josh leaning down to pull her back up but she was being pulled backwards. 

"Josh! Help! Josh!" she shrieked as her body was being dragged back. Her nails dug into the concrete in attempts to keep her back but whatever was behind all this was stronger than she was. There was now a faint trail of blood from her nails being ripped and the gash on her chin.

Josh dropped the flashlight in an instant and began to chase after her but without the help of the light he couldn't see the table in front of him. His foot caught the corner and he fell forward. The last thing he saw was her body fighting with everything it had top stop what was happening but it was too late. 

Ellie was now gone and all that Josh was left with was her screams.


	2. Chapter 2

"Josh!" Ellie's shouts muffled every time her mouth met the pavement. Her now distant cries getting fewer and far between.

"Help me! Help… Me..."

"ELIZABETH!" Josh roars into the darkness. His voice echoing off the walls. He wanted to scream her name once more but he was not willing to bring anymore attention to himself. Who knows what else lies in the shadows?

He sprung back up and grabbed the flashlight he left behind and began to follow the trail of blood. His knee was throbbing immensely. It was definitely going to bruise. The trail was easy to follow until he hit a certain part of the hallway where the one branched out into multiple.

"Holy fuck," Josh muttered under his breath. "What in the fuck?"

He stayed on what he thought was the way to Ellie because the blood looked the most recent but he ended up at a dead end. At this dead end, the light from Josh's torch illuminated a fresh puddle of blood. As he bent down to inspect how recent it was a few more droplets rained down from above.

At this revelation, Josh stood very still. His body not wanting to move. Every bone in his body had turned to stone. He could feel his breath escape from his chest in one sharp movement. The hairs on the back of his neck standing at attention. it was a chilly night but somehow he was covered in sweat. His pulse beating in his ears.

Seconds ticked by slowly but no more droplets fell so Josh assumed he was safe. He slowly began to lift his gaze and the light of his flashlight to the ceiling. There perched into the corner of the ceiling was a bald man dressed in a patients gown. His eyes black and mouth full of blood. Josh kept his eyes on the being for too long causing it to shriek at an irritating decibel. 

Josh tried to will his legs to move but he was too stunned. Too terrified.

The thing jumped from its perch and landed in front of him getting blood splatter on Josh's shirt. A burst of adrenaline kicked in and Josh shot upright. He flailed his arms out in attempts to push whoever or whatever that was out of his way. To his surprise, his limbs came in contact with nothing. 

But he didn't let that thought stop him for long. He took the opportunity to run. Run as far away from this spot as he could. He had no idea where he was going. As long as it was away from there. His legs pumped fast. Lactic acid building up in his muscles. He welcomed the pain. It meant he was still alive.

He ran until he felt far enough away. He went down a flight of stairs and ended up in the basement. His light gave a quick sweep of the room. He was surrounded by numerous shelves. Each shelf housing mason jars filled with gelatinous fluid and things suspended within. Upon closer inspection, Josh realized that the unknown objects were in fact human organs. He saw eyeballs, brains, hearts and intestines housed in makeshift formaldehyde. 

"What in God's name went on at this place?" Josh questioned to himself. 

He cautiously examined the specimens on the shelf. He picked up the one with the human brain inside and held his flashlight up to the murky glass. As he was spinning the bottom of the base in his left hand his grip on the glass loosened causing it to slip. The glass shattering on the floor creating a loud sound.

"Shit!" Josh cursed, quickly turning off the light and finding something large to hide behind incase his accident alerted any unwanted things.

Nothing came thankfully but the smell of the old formaldehyde was causing Josh to develop a headache so he knew he had to press forward into another room of the basement.

In this room was more jars filled with organs along the back wall. In the middle of the room was an operating table with a bunch of scary looking mechanisms around it. He concluded that they must have experimented on some of the patients here. He wasn't sure whether it was in attempts to cure them of TB or for other purposes. Either way, he knew that this would cause whatever was lingering in this building to be a bit pissed off.

Just then, Josh heard muttering and footsteps coming towards the door. In panic, he scanned the room looking for an acceptable place to hide. He found a desk in the corner and quickly slid underneath. 

Just in time.

As he got himself hidden two people walked in and they both looked like doctors. They were donned in white lab coats and were carrying clipboards.

"Have they captured the female?" one of them asked.

"They have. They have her in 502 at the moment. Nurse Gwendaline is keeping her company and making sure she doesn't escape."

"Do you think this will work this time?"

"I think it will. In the time we've been waiting for someone to enter this place since they've closed it off to the public I think we've created the perfect plan."

"Then we can be free?" he looked hopeful. 

"Then we can be free. All of us."

"I hope you're right. By the way, did you happen to drop that brain specimen?"

"I did not," there was a short pause, "Her partner must be down here."

"Well he can't have gone far!" 

Josh placed both hands over his mouth to keep himself from breathing too loudly. It seemed like an impossible task in the circumstance he was in but it worked well enough. The two doctors barely looked in this room before heading out into the room filled with glass jars where Josh has just come from. He didn't know what to do but he definitely did not want to stay in his current position. He took one last glance from behind the desk before crawling out. 

He top toed towards the entrance and listened for the general location of the two men. They sounded far enough that Josh felt safe to pop his head out. From the moonlight coming in the small window, he knew his assumption of their location was right. Their backs were turned as they each took an aisle searching for him. Josh took a deep breath before he stepped out. He cursed himself for travelling into the basement. An easy spot for him to get cornered. There was no where else to go but up.

He crept out into the open hiding behind the first row of shelves cautiously watching their location.

"Anything yet?"

"Nothing."

They moved on to another row and so did Josh. He would go to the next row just as they did. His pulse fast. His skin clammy. When they reached the end they decided to thoroughly check the operating room again. As he saw them fade into the doorway he took the chance to make a mad dash up the staircase. The old, rotten boards not letting his presence go unnoticed.

"Get him!" he heard a man bellow and then his eyes went dark.


	3. Chapter 3

The last thing Ellie remembered before being dragged to what she presumed was her death was the awful pain of her jaw hitting the pavement and Josh's figure blurred along with his pleas. 

When she came to, she felt stiff and immobile. When her eyes opened she realized that she had been strapped down to a bed. It wasn't really a bed anymore. Only the frame and springs were left. The coils prodding at her back. 

Hoping she was having a nightmare Ellie screamed at the top of her lungs. She was surprised when she actually heard her scream. She was expecting it to be like those dreams where no matter how hard you yell no sound comes out. 

"Would you please quit that awful screaming?" an unknown voice spoke out.

Ellie's eyes turned in the direction. To her surprise, there was a woman dressed in a nursing outfit near the window of the room. Her back was turned away so she couldn't make out any features.

"Wh-who are you? Where am I?" 

"My name is Gwendaline. You're at the Waverly Hills Sanatorium."

The whitewashed figure turned around and she appeared to be pregnant. The nurses face looked grim as her hands rubbed her stomach. Ellie's thoughts turned to her research and wondered what floor she's on.

"What room?"

"502"

Her assumptions were correct. This was the famous room 502 where the alleged suicide took place. A nurse hung herself from a light fixture. Another jumped to her death from the sole window. Ellie wondered which one she was.

"Why'd you do it?"

"Pardon me?" the nurses tone confused.

"Why did you take your own life?" 

Ellie gulped fearful she stepped over the boundaries.

"Why does everybody ask that question in here?" the nurse pondered. "Year after year strangers filter into this room at night and ask that same question flailing these weird instruments about. Which is awfully rude might i add. What does it matter?"

"I think people just want to understand," Ellie started slowly, "They're curious about your situation and the times back then."

The nurse had stayed in one position the entire time but was now walking towards the bed causing Ellie to tense. The contracting of her muscles and joints making her entire body ache.

"I wasn't married. A doctor here had gotten me pregnant. He refused to accept that it was his. He said that it was impossible. He said it had to have been someone else's. But it wasn't. It was his. I was only with him. Mix your unborn child being a bastard with being a single parent on one income with the stress from working in a place like this all day. It all became too much to handle. So I took matters into my own hands. I grabbled some rope, made a noose and hung myself from the light fixture."

Ellie could hear the agony in this woman's story. She pictured herself in the same position and felt overwhelmed.

"Do you regret it?"

"I used to but now that you're here not anymore."

Ellie choked, "What?"

"Well now that you and your… partner are here we have a second chance."

"A second chance at what?"

"At life."

"And how exactly?" 

Ellie was stalling. She was hoping that her questions would distract the nurse from realizing that she was loosening the straps on the bed.

"I don't know the logistics behind all of it. The doctors have been working on it in the lab for quite some while. We've experimented so many times to have them fail. I think they've finally got it right. i think it's going to work this time. So thank you so much for walking into this place tonight."

Gwendaline smiles creepily and walks back towards the window to massage her stomach. This would have been the perfect time for Ellie to escape but she couldn't will her legs to move. She felt paralyzed. She had no idea what this person was going on about. A second chance at life? How was that possible? She was a ghost. Ellie is a living breathing human.

"Hey Gwendaline?" Ellie questioned. "How come I can see you? I mean, I know that sometimes the human eye can see apparitions but there's no physical way I should see you this clearly."

Gwendaline turned back around and pursed her lips. A look of pity washed over her face before a faint smile formed on her lips.

"I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. You're not really… awake right now."

"Then what the hell kind of state am I?" 

"It's like you're in a coma. Your mind is closer to -how should I say this- the light?"

No words came out of Ellie's mouth. She was too shocked at what she was hearing. 

"That pain you're feeling. That's not from being dragged. That's from your body being away from your physical body. Your actual body is somewhere else in this hospital. You've been in this state longer than you think."

"And Josh?" She almost didn't ask as she didn't want to know the answer. Although she was pretty sure of the outcome.

"Just like you." 

"Since when?"

"Ever since you two walked through the doorway that read GET OUT."

"We didn't see it!" Ellie exclaimed.

"No one ever does. There are still some nice patients left that like to use their own blood to write the warning. It never works. People always walk through."

A silence took over the room only to be broken by a familiar scream.

It was Josh.


	4. Chapter 4

"Josh!" Ellie shouted out to him. His screams off in the distance. She shouted a few more times but his screaming stayed the same. 

"Wow, you’re boyfriend is a screamer. He must be fun," Gwendaline commented.

Ellie rolled her eyes and continued to act out being still tied to the bed. She had to pick the perfect moment for her escape. Gwendaline was rubbing her stomach muttering under her breath. Her gaze was fixed on something outdoors. Ellie saw it as the her best opportunity and Josh’s screams were getting more sporadic and intense. Ellie took a big intake of breath and then sprung out of the bed as fast she she could. The heel of her foot made contact with her spine and she pushed with all her might. She didn’t budge at first but with an extra boot to the back her body was toppling out the window of the fifth floor.

Ellie looked over the edge for just a second to watch the body plummet. She made eye contact with the nurse and felt a quick pang of regret. She just sent a pregnant woman to her death. But thinking of her current situation she saw no other way. Who knew if Gwendaline was even real. Ellie could be losing it.

Why didn’t she scream?

Ellie couldn’t waste any more time. She started running off in the direction of Josh’s shrieks. It took her two hallways and a set of stairs for her to find the room that Josh was being housed in. Surprisingly, whoever in this hospital was trying to keep them there left Josh alone.

The state that she found him in made her sick. Like her his arms were tied but his feet were tied too. A thick black rope keeping him down. They also inserted something along the edges of his mouth to keep it open. His eyes were blindfolded shut. His muscles tense. 

"Oh my God," Ellie murmured running over to the bedside. Josh felt her hands on him but didn’t know they were hers so he tried to fight her off. She quickly reached for the blindfold and pulled it down enough for him to see. When their eyes met a few tears were shared. They thought they had lost each other. He thought he had lost her but she found him.

Ellie moved onto the mouth inserts then to the ropes.

"Thank God," Josh exclaimed. "I honestly had no idea if I was going to see you again."

She finished off with the last leg tie and helped him to his feet. They met with a short embrace before stealthily checking the hallway for incoming people.

"We have to get out of here," Ellie whispered.

"No shit," Josh returned, "They want us for something."

"Where’d you hear that?" Ellie was confused he knew something else was up too.

"When you got dragged away I ended up looking for you in the basement. These two doctors came down and were going on about how they needed us for something. To set them free. I have no fucking idea what else happened I just tried to get the fuck out and the ended up catching me and bringing me here."

"I see," she knew about the same, "Did you know we’re like them in a way?"

Josh raised his eyebrow confused. His eyes squinted as if trying to somehow think of a logical explanation for her comment.

"Sorry babe, but I’m not following."

"Our bodies are somewhere in this hospital Josh. That’s why we can see them so clearly. We’re half dead. We need to get back to our bodies. We need to find them before whatever they have planned happens or else we’re going to be stuck here forever."

Josh’s jaw dropped. This was not the answer he was expecting. 

"Well where the fuck are they?" he asked, angrily.

"If I fucking knew we’d be going there," Ellie replied just as nastily. 

The two of them clearly in a stressed state kept a weird silence between them as they quietly moved throughout the halls and checking the next room.

"Look I’m sorry," Ellie starts, "All I know is that nurse said that it as somewhere else in this hospital."

Josh held her hand in response. There was no way he was letting her go again. They make it to the intersection of the hallways and find a map directory resting in the middle on some old stone. Surprisingly for the state of the sanatorium the map was fairly intact. Ellie’s finger reached up and met with the ‘YOU ARE HERE’ arrow.

"Where do you think they could be?" she asked aloud. 

"I didn’t see anything in the basement," Josh replied. 

Then Ellie gasped. 

"FIRST FLOOR," her fingers moved rapidly trying to find the quickest way to where Gwendaline told her the moment they became separate beings.

"Wait what?" Josh uttered fast.

Ellie grabbed ahold of his hand and started dragging him off into the direction of the doorway. Intricately bobbing and weaving in and aout of rooms incase they were spotted.

"Ellie I don’t understand," Josh uttered again and still she didm’t respond. "Elizabeth!"

"That’s where they are. That’s where she told me they are!" she hushed.

"Why?"

"We walked through a doorway. Apparently patients here wrote a warning in blood but we walked right through it and that’s where it happened. That’s where they are."

Josh rubbed the back of his neck and thought of the droplet that landed there. He cursed. He had felt the warning and just brushed it off. But he didn’t and now they were there.

"I know exactly what doorway," Josh said and began to take charge. 

As soon as they were off in the right direction they heard strange sounds coming from a patients room and for some reason they both felt the need to check it out. When they reached the doorway they saw a little girl sitting in a bed in a white dress. As they got closer they realized it wasn’t a dress and that it was a gown. The smaller girl was crying and sniffling.

"Are you okay?" Ellie asked, sympathetically but got no response.

"Do you need help?" Josh pressed on.

And still they got nothing. So they took the stupid approach and walked closer to the bed.

When they got close enough they immediately regretted their decision.


	5. Five - Ending 2

The little girl turned her head slowly then her mouth opened up demonically. Her mouth stretching wide creating a large black hole in her face. The area around her eyes sinking in and her eyes turning all white. Josh and Ellie couldn’t form a sound. They’ve never seen anything like this in person. Always in horror movies and even then it wasn’t scary. It made them laugh.

The girl started to scream but it wasn’t to freak them out it was to warn them. There was something behind them that the girl was afraid of. Her screams stopped and she leaped from her bed fleeing the room.

"What the fuck Ellie?" Josh gasped. "What the fuck!"

"We need to get the fuck out of here Josh, like NOW." 

Ellie turned in the direction of the doorway and saw a large shadow approaching. They were going to use the doorway as their means of escape but now they can’t. The two of them scanned the room for other possible options. There was the window and hiding under patient beds. 

"The window," Josh suggested. "These beds are too shitty to hide under. We’ll be spotted right off the bat."

They ran over to the window. Josh tried to get the latch open on the window pane as Ellie watched the door.

"Faster Josh, faster!" Ellie egged him on. The shadow was getting larger and the voices were getting closer.

"I’m trying El, it’s fucking stuck!" he cursed at her, hushed. There were beads of sweat trickling down his face and back. The latch wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he tried. 

Whoever was coming to retrieve them was almost there now. No progress was being made. Ellie couldn’t help the tears from sliding down her face. 

This was it.

This is the end.

"I can’t get it El! I can’t!" Josh was out of breath from putting what little strength he had left into the latch. There was no use. The shadows turned into human forms. It was the doctors Josh saw in the basement. They had found them. Whatever they were using Josh and Ellie for they were soon going to find out.

"Well look who it is," the tall one said to them before turning to his partner, "Get ‘em!"

Josh grabbed onto Ellie’s hand as they made a run for the door. They tried to push their way through the doctors but they had a syringe with some form of drug to make them go limp.

"Nice try," they laughed, "It’ll wear off soon. Then you’ll wake up when the shows about to begin."

And that it did. 

The vision of Josh and Ellie faded to black and when it came back to them they were both strapped down on a gurney beside one another. 

"Josh!" Ellie screamed, her head secured to the table. She couldn’t see him.

"Ellie! I’m here!" he was in the same position. He wriggled around the bed but it was no use. He was strapped down pretty good. There was no room for movement.

"Would you two quit your screaming. God it’s annoying," the nurse groaned. She walked over to Ellie and smacked her across the face. "That’s for kicking me out the window." 

"Are we all ready?" the doctor asked. 

Everyone in the room hummed in agreeance. 

"Not long now."

"What are you going to do to us?" Ellie begged for information.

"While you two were drugged up in this half form we placed you back into your bodies. Your bodies in which we’ve been working on while you two have been here at Waverly Hills. When the sun rises your hearts will stop beating and in the moment we have exactly thirty six seconds to extract them from your chests. Then we will cut them into equal parts and ingest them. And once ingested the chemicals that we’ve pumped inside your organ will revive our stopped hearts. Our faded forms will then turn back to the way they once were. We will be free of this place. We will be able to live again. A second chance."

"That’s fucked up," Josh commented bitterly.

"You two have one minute. Anything you two wish to exchange with one another now is the time."

"So that’s it?" Ellie gasped. 

"Ellie, I’m so sorry," Josh apologized. "I should have never taken you to this place. I didn’t…"

"You didn’t know, Josh." Ellie finished.

"I just wanted some cheap laughs. Get you scared. Then bring you back to the jeep."

"I know. I know." 

"It was a pleasure getting to love you," Josh choked on the last words. His nostrils stinging from the imminent tears.

"The past few years with you were the best I’ve had with anyone, Josh. I love you, always," Ellie too choked out. 

"Always," Josh returned. 

The nurse made a gagging motion with her hand as the doctor announced the time was up. At the exact same instant Josh and Ellie’s hearts stopped beating. 

A single night that was meant be fun had ended in tragedy.

Happy Halloween everyone.


	6. Five - Ending 1

"Run!" Josh grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled her out the door. He knew she was stuck with fear and wouldn’t move on her own.

"Tell me how to get to the first floor El," Josh yelled but Ellie was silent. She had seen a lot of unimaginable things tonight and the shock was just setting in. "Baby, you need to tell me how to get there."

Ellie stayed silent but pointed in the general direction. It lead them down a hallway and then to a stairwell with the door unhinged. 

"Down?" Josh whispered.

"Mmm," Ellie sounded in response. 

They went through the door and rushed down the stairs. Luckily the stairs weren’t are of floorboards so their hasty steps went unnoticed. 

Almost.

The little girl from the room followed them out and began to hang back in their shadows. She didn’t mean them any harm. The demonic stretch of her mouth was meant as a warning to them. She could sense that the doctors were on their way up to the inspect the room on that floor. She wanted to make sure that Ellie and Josh made their way to their bodies. She was one of the nice ones at Waverly. She hated seeing the torture and murders of those unfortunate enough to make their way into Waverly Hills. She wanted to save them all. 

"Is she following us?" the first real sounds leaving Ellie’s mouth.

"I think so," Josh replied quietly. 

The little girl never got to close to them. She stayed a great distance behind.

"I don’t think she wants to hurt us," Josh noticed. "Or else she would have done it by now."

They make it to the first floor and Ellie scrunches up her face in confusion. The entire layout of the floor has completely changed from before. She had visualized what it looked like when they were there earlier. It looked nothing like it did now.

"Everything’s different!" she gasped.

"What do you mean?" Josh was confused.

"I mean, everything is different. I don’t know how but this is not the same first floor that we were on before."

"That makes no sense," he replied.

"I know."

"Hey look!" Josh pointed off into the distance. There standing in the moonlight of one of the windows was the little girl. She motioned with her hands to have them follow her. "I think she is trying to help us."

"Should we trust her?" Ellie whispered.

"What other choice do we have?" he answered. And he was right. Either she helped in their escape from the sanatorium or she lead them to their demise. They had a 50/50 shot.

The girl took them through a maze of hallways and doors. Each one looking exactly the same as the last. It felt like hours had passed and they went in and out of rooms and doors but finally she stopped. She held her index finger to her lip before pointing through one of the doors. The two of them looked and their lying in the middle was their bodies being guarded by two other patients. 

"There they are!" Ellie whispered a little to loudly illiciting movement from the guards. The girl motioned for them to move back and she walked into the room towards them.

Josh and Ellie hung back but kept their eyes trained in the direction of them room.

"Doctor Jones and Doctor Smith would like to see you," the girl spoke up. "I can watch them for now."

"Ha!" one of them laughed. "Jones and Smith think that you are good enough to keep these bodies safe?"

The other one joined in the laughing.

"They do and if you don’t hurry up they’re not going to let you participate."

"Fuck," they both muttered, "We better go."

They left the room to the girl. Luckily, there was another exit in the room so Josh and Ellie weren’t spotted. Once the coast was clear the girl motioned for them to enter the room.

"You have three minutes before they realize what’s going on," she instructed. "Enter your bodies now. It’ll take a minute for the two forms to align. Do it now."

"Do we just lie on top of them?" Ellie asked.

"I think so," the girl replied.

So Josh and Ellie did exactly that and just like she said it took only a minute for their bodies to reconnect. 

"You guys have to go!" the girl shouted, "They’re coming!"

"Which way is out?" Josh asked out of breath from the body linking.

"Follow me! Hurry!" 

They chased after her like Alice chased after the White Rabbit. Again, weaving in and out of hallways and doors until eventually finding the front door. 

"Oh thank God," Josh exclaimed.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ellie thanked the girl. "Thank you so much!"

They each gave her a smile before opening the door and running. Running faster than they ever had in their lives. They ran until they found the hole in the fence that they crawled under and then found the Jeep where Josh had parked it. 

"Get in!" Josh ordered reaching for the drivers side. Ellie ran towards the passenger. Once inside Josh fumbled with getting the keys into the ignition. 

"Do you think they followed us?" 

"I have no fucking clue, El."

The car starts and Josh reverses fast. He makes his way onto the dirt path and starts racing through the forested area. His headlights brightening then fading. Then out of no where the silhouettes of three people stand in the road causing Josh to swerve. Swerve right into a tree killing the two of them on impact.

A night that was meant to be fun had ended in tragedy.

Happy Halloween everyone! Of course I couldn’t give a happy ending for a Halloween story!


End file.
